Swinging shelf.



W. R. WALKER.

SWINGING SHELF.

APPLICATION FILED DBO.10,1912.

1,1 14,948. Patented 0@1;.27,1914.

III:

W rrvcnior swa FFHJE WILLARD R. WALKER, OiE SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

\ SWINGING SHELF.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 27, new.

Application filed December 10, 1912 Serial No. 735,908.

writing material, and otherarticles for the convenient use of patients or other persons reclining or sitting upon such beds, cots, chairs or similar pieces of furniture.

The primary object is to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive device of the character described which may be easily and quickly applied to a bed post, chair post or other available support in proximity to a bed, cot or chair and adjusted vertically or horizontally or to dill'ercnt angles as may be required for the convenience of the occupant of the bed, cot or chair for supporting any of the articles which may be necessary or desirable for the comfort of such occupant.

Another object is to enable the various parts of the device to be quickly assembled or folded into compact space for storage or transportation or similarly folded into a relatively small space and shifted to one side out of the way when not in use without detaching it from its support.

A further object is to make the shelf proper in sections hinged to each other so as to fold one upon the other and to secure the supporting bracket directly to the front section which is subjected to the greatest strain or load.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings-lligure 1 is a perspective View of a swinging shelf embodying the various features of my invention and shown as attached to a bed or chair post. l ig. is a transverse sectional view through the shelf proper and adjacent portion ol its supporting bracket taken on line 22, l ig. 11. Fig. 3 is a lengthwise sectional view through the same shelf and adjacent portion of its supporting bracket taken on line 3-3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view through the clamp and post to which it is secured taken on line 4 4, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a longiludimll vertical scctional view, partly in elevation, of portions of two of the. bracket sections and clamp and adjacent portion of the supporting post to which the clamp is secured.

As shown in the drawings, this \lQViCc (tOlllPllSQs a scctiona] bracket --1-- havi fif one end adapted to be secured to a bed or chair post --u or equivalent support and a sectional shell or tray -l--- adjustably secured to the opposite end of the bracket in the manner presently described.

The bracket -1-- prclcrably consists of a sectional clamp and a plurality 01', in this instance ihroc, tubular arms or sections l--, e and -"--(l--- pivotally connected respectively to the clamp --3}.- and to each other for horizontal swinging a'djustnienh said bracket being also provided with a \'(!l. ti 'ally adjustable shelf-supporting head 7- which is pivolally mounted upon one end of the scction ---(3-- as shown more clearly in Fig. 2.

The clamp --3----, as shown in Fig. 1-, com 'priscs opposite relatively adjustable sections and il--- having centrally registering concave seats -'10- adapted to engage opposite sides of the post -or-, the clamping section 8- being provided at its opposite ends with clamping bolts --llwhich are passedthrough apertures in the corresponding ends of the section 9-- and provided with thumb nuts --'l2- for drawing the clamping sections --8---- and --9-- tightly against opposite sides of the post. --a--- and, at the same time permitting the lll'llt'litl'. and shelf to be adjusted vertically or rotatably along and around said post as may be required to suit the convenience of the user.

The clamping section -8--- is provided with a laterally projecting cylindrical oll'sct --l3-- having a vertical cylindrical socket or bore ----'ll---- l'or receiving one arm of an elbow coupling -15- on the adjacent end of the tubular bracket section The arm of the coupling -.l5--, which enters the socket --l=l-- is also cylindrical and fitted with an easy turning fit in said socket and is provided with an annular shoulder -16 resting upon the-upper end of the tubular oll'set -l2 for limiting the downward movement of the coupling and at the same time permitting it to be readily withdrawn upwardly from its socket. The other arm :of the hollow coupling 15- is rigidly Se I is provided with.

' downward movement cured by screw threads or otherwise to the adjacent end of the bracket section -l so as to form. practically a unitary part thereof.

The central portion of the clamping section 8 is provided with a pendant extension 17- forming a continued seat --10- adjacent the offset -13 so as to better resist downward and lateral strains upon this portion of the clamp and its support incidental to any load which may be placed on the shelf.

The outer end of the bracket section 4 a coupling section 18-- screwed or otherwise secured thereto and having a vertical cylindrical socket or bore i9 for the reception of the cylindrical arm of another elbow section 15"- which is similar to that previously described and is provided with an annular shoulder -16 resting upon the upper face of the coupling section -l8 so as to limit the of the bracket section *5 and, at the same time, permit said bracket section to be removed upwardly from its socket +19 when desired. The lower arm of the elbow section 15 is also fitted with an easyturning lit in the coupling section 18 so as to permit the bracket arms 4. and --5- to be adjusted rotatably relatively to each other. In like manner, the outer end of the bracket section --5 is provided'with a coupling section -18'- screwed or otherwise secured thereto and .is substantially the same as the coupling 18- and, therefore, provided with a vertical socket or cylindrical bore -19' for receiving the upright cylindrical arm of the tubular elbow section .-6'- which is also provided with an annular shoulder -20 resting upon the upper face ofthe coupling section 18- for limiting the downward movement of the elbow section 6 and at the same time permit ting such elbow section to be withdrawn upwardly when desired, it being understood that the lower end of the elbow section -(iis cylindrical. and fitted with an easy turning fit within the socket -19.

The outer end of the elbow section 6 is furcated and provided with opposite enlarged concavo-convex bearings ;-2-1 spaced apart a sufiicient distance to receive between them a pendant arm 22 on the underside of the head 7. The concave sides of the arms --21- face each other and form opposed annular bearings -23 for engaging the opposite sides of the pendant projection -2Z to which said arms are clamped by means of a screw -24- passin g through the registering apertures in the arms -21- and pendant projection --22, the "central aperture in one of the arms ---slbeing threaded to engage the adjacent end of the screw while the opposite end of the screw is enlarged to engage the ing cleat or plate 26-.

misses outer face of theopposite arm 2las shown more clearly in Fig. 3, thus permitting the head 22 to rock vertically upon the pivotal bolt or screw -24:'. The head -22- is provided with a-substantially fiat upper face to which the shelf 2- is secured by suitable fastening means as screws 25 through the medium. of an interven- This shelf is preferably composed of front and rear sections -27 and -s-28- arranged edge to edge and hinged to each other at their ends by upstanding hinges -29- which form guards to hold articles on the shelf against lateral displacement. The front edge of the front section is also provided with an upstanding flange 30- to hold such articles against sliding from the shelf when the latter is tilted as shown in Fig. 2. The front section -27-, which receives the greatest load and strains, is rigidly secured to the head 7 in such manner as to allow a small portion of the rear edge of the plate 26- to project rearwardly beyond the meeting edges of the shelf sections -27 and 28 so as to afi'ord ample support for the rear shelf section without liability of overstraining the hinges and, at the same time, permitting said rear section to fold upwardly and forwardly over and upon the front, section as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the bracket for supporting the shelf comprises bars or arms l and -5 having elbows at one end and sockets at their opposite ends, the elbow of one of said sections being fitted with an easy turning lit in the socket in the adjacent end of the other section while the other elbow of one of the first named sections is fitted with an easy turning fit in the socket of the clamp and the elbow section 6 is similarly fitted in the socket of the other of the first named sections, thereby allowing a wide range of horizontal adjustment of the shelfwhile the shelf itself may be tilted or adjusted vertically to different angles and may be used as a table, writing desk, book support and various other apparatus.

What I claim is:

1. A swinging shelf comprising an articulated bracket having its sections hinged to each other to swing horizontally, one of the end sections having means for clamping it to a suitablesupport, a shelf-supporting head hinged to the other end section to swing vertically, and a folding shelf composed of sections hinged together edge to edge to swing vertically about an axis parallel with that of the vertically swinging head, said head beingrigidly secured to one of the shelf sections and extended under for when unfolded 2. A swinging shelf comprisintg zontally swinging bracket, e shel ing heed pivoted to the bracket vertically, a folding shelf a, horisupportto swing composed of secallel with that of the head, the other section being secured to the head, said head extending to opgosite sides of edges of the s elf for the folding In witness wher my hand this 5th (1 WILLARD Witnesses the meeting 10 sections to form a rest section.

eof I have hereunto set ay of December, 1912.

R. WALKER.

H. E. CHASE, EVA GREENLEAF. 

